Supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, the National of raw milk cheese took place at the craft professions campus in Joué-lès-Tours. A jury of professionals awarded the gold medal for Mallaroni sheep cheese from Sartenais.
Vannina Mallaroni, one of the four operators of the Ortolu GAEC, is delighted with this award: “Our casgiu meets the criteria required for this type of competition, that is to say that it is a product of character and the full expression of our terroir. We appreciate having obtained this award after so many years. “years of regularity in our cheese factory. Such an event also represents the opportunity to meet other cheese makers with the same passion for this profession.”
The Mallaroni cheese dairy is a sheep farm, born in 1998 from the love of the Mallaroni family for his land and continued with the meeting of the Cerruti family to become a formidable human adventure.
Vannina, who was an urban planner on the continent, decided in 2018 to give up everything and returned to Corsica to join the family farm after passing a BPREA at the Sartène agricultural high school.
Together, they commit all their time, money and energy to this sometimes very difficult profession to achieve a cheese factory that meets standards and make it profitable.
Four hundred Corsican sheep
Nearly a quarter of a century later, the farm has become a joint farming group (GAEC) which manages 400 Corsican sheep within which three members of the family operate, Jean-Pierre, Vannina, Gabrielle. , and their neighbor Sarah Cerruti.
Today, the Ortolu GAEC has 400 Corsican sheep grazing on the green and peaceful lands of the Urtolu valley in the place called Lezza.
The smoked casgiu sartinesu type raw milk farm cheese is made while respecting the seasons and traditions in modern processing and working conditions. “This is what, I think, appealed to the professional jury”concludes Vannina Mallaroni.
